10 incredible microscopic GIFs

Every day, life is going about its business, but we can only see a fraction of the organisms around us with the naked eye. Bacteria, protists, and tiny multicellular creatures live in a world that is completely alien to us and only visible through the microscope. Thanks to the wonder of science, we can dive into this world and see how these wee beasties get along. Here are 10 of the coolest in GIF form. Click the gallery to see each one of the pics and then check out the full explanations of each animations below, without your browser being weighed down by all those hefty GIFs!

White blood cell chases a bacterium

Your body has numerous immune defenses that keep invaders in check, much of it mediated by multiple varieties of white blood cells. Each cell type has a duty to perform, and this one is doing it with extreme prejudice. The GIF shows a large WBC called a macrophage following the chemical trail of a bacterium until it engulfs it.

A rotifer having a snack

A rotifer, commonly known as a wheel animal, is a tiny 0.1-0.5mm multicellular creature found in most freshwater sources. This organism eats by sucking in water through its ciliated mouth and pulling out the bits of organic matter. They are essential to keeping water free of excess organic matter.

Stylonychia creeps and crawls

Stylonychia is a carnivorous little killing machine that prey on protozoa and bacteria. It moves fast, and can swim through open water, or crawl on solid surfaces. The jerky movements make it look a bit like a miniature transparent cockroach.

Cultured kidney cells

In this GIF we can see cultured human kidney cells blooming to form the complex structures indicative of the larger organ. The bulb-shaped structures are collectively known as the glomerulus, a tuft of capillaries that filters the blood. These cells have been stained to highlight the structure.

Neutrophils on the attack

An important part of the innate immune system is the neutrophil. These cells are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are the predominant component of pus. When damage is detected, neutrophils are usually the first on the scene. They spill their cellular contents around the area, which causes inflammation and combats bacteria. Here, we see fluorescently tagged neutrophils flocking to the site of laser damage in a sample of rat lymph node.

E. coli reproducing

Escherichia coli is a rod-shaped gram negative bacterium and one of the most common organisms in the human intestinal tract. Like most bacteria, it can reproduce by fission, causing the numbers to grow geometrically. To make this possible, it is constantly running DNA replication at multiple sites. This GIF shows a sped up version of what happens when E. coli has sufficient resources to reproduce.

Paramecium becomes amoeba’s dinner

Both the smaller paramecium and larger amoeba in this GIF are single-celled organisms. The paramecium is a speedy little thing, but the amoeba takes the slow and steady approach. Here the amoeba slowly sets up the trap, then extends its pseudopod around the paramecium as it swims forward. It will be slowly digested inside the amoeba — you almost feel sorry for it as it tries in vain to back out the way it came.

Water flea pulse

This organism isn’t technically microscopic, but daphnia (commonly called a water flea) is a tiny crustacean. It’s used as a common introduction to microscopy in the classroom because it’s hearty and easy to handle. In this GIF you can watch as the large dorsal vein of a water flea contracts with the beating of its heart.

Programmed cell death

When a cell becomes damaged, infected by a virus, or simply isn’t needed anymore biochemical triggers will cause it to die in an orderly way called apoptosis. This process collapses the cell and breaks it up into tiny bits that can be cleared by other cells. This GIF shows two cells in culture being induced to go through apoptosis. They collapse in on themselves like little black holes.

Water bear swagger

Tardigrade is right at the edge of being visible to the naked eye. It usually measures under 0.5mm, but can reach 1.2mm. The “water bear” is multicellular and has eight stubby legs attached to its barrel-shaped body. The water bear is famous for being nearly indestructible. This creature can live 10 years without eating, absorb massive amounts of radiation, and even be fine in the vacuum of space. The water bear walking across the surface in the above GIF clearly has a swagger.